USA > Wyoming > History of Wyoming, Volume II > Part 26
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student and is never content until he has mastered every detail of his cases. He believes in the maxim, "there is no excellence without labor" and follows it closely.
On the 2d of February, 1882, Mr. Stansbury was united in marriage to Miss Mary Paden and to them have been born four sons and a daughter: Lawrence. who is a physician practicing at Joliet, Illinois ; George, a dentist who follows his profession in Peoria, Illinois ; Harry, a student in the Chicago University ; William Morris, who is associated with his father in the practice of law ; and Alta, the wife of H. H. Shaffner.
Mr. Stansbury is strong and positive in his republicanism but his party fealty is not grounded on partisan prejudice and is the result of close study of the situa- tion and a firm belief in the justice and value of the cause which he espouses. Of the great issues which divide the two parties, with their roots extending down to the very bedrock of the foundation of the republic, he has the true statesman's , grasp. He has arrived at his conclusions as a result of what may be called his post-graduate studies in the school of affairs. Such men, whether in office or out. are the natural leaders of whichever party they may be identified with, especially in that movement toward higher politics which is common to both parties and which constitutes the most hopeful political sign of the period. Mr. Stansbury has never been an office seeker but has served as chairman of the republican county central committee and has been a member of the school board, the cause of educa- tion finding in him a stalwart champion. Fraternally he is a Mason of high rank, having reached the Knight Templar degree in the York Rite, while with the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine he has crossed the sands of the desert. He belongs to the Elks lodge at Albuquerque, New Mexico, and for thirty-three years has been a member of the Knights of Pythias. He is fond of athletics and this keeps him young in body and spirit. He is greatly interested in the state and its devel- opment and his cooperation can be counted upon at all times to further plans and measures for the general good. In the face of obstacles which would have utterly discouraged and disheartened many a man, with no educational advantages at the outset of his career, Mr. Stansbury has steadily progressed until he is today recog- nized not only as an able lawyer but as a broad-minded man with whom association means expansion and elevation.
F. M. WARD.
F. M. Ward, attorney at law practicing in Buffalo, is a native of South Dakota. He was born on the 25th of June, 1889, a son of Michael and Mary ( McGrane) Ward, the former a native of Ireland, while the latter was born in Massachusetts. They were married in Nebraska and removed to South Dakota where the father devoted his life to merchandising until his death, which occurred in 1891. His widow survives and is now living in Nebraska. They had a family of five chil- dren, all of whom survive.
F. M. Ward was reared and educated in Nebraska, being indebted to the public school system for the early educational opportunities which he enjoyed. He passed through consecutive grades to his graduation from the high school and he is also a graduate of the Creighton College of Law at Omaha, Nebraska, having completed his course there as a member of the class of 1912. After thus preparing for the bar he entered upon the practice of his profession in Nebraska, where he remained for four years, and in April, 1917, he removed to Buffalo, Wyoming, where he has since engaged in active practice in association with James L. Cald- well, under the firm style of Caldwell & Ward. Already he has made for himself a creditable position in professional circles in Johnson county and has won very favorable criticism by reason of the thoroughness with which he prepares his cases and the strength with which he presents his arguments. The firm of Caldwell & Ward now occupies a very prominent position at the Buffalo bar and is accorded
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a liberal clientage, connecting them with much important litigation heard in the courts.
In his political views Mr. Ward is a democrat but is not a politician in the sense of office seeking. Already he has gained many warm friends during the period of his residence in Wyoming and the circle is constantly increasing as the circle of his acquaintance broadens.
BERTRAND N. MATTHEWS.
Bertrand N. Matthews, county prosecuting attorney of Uinta county and a well known resident of Evanston, entered upon his professional career well qualified for active work at the bar and is making for himself a most creditable position in this connection. He was born in Devonshire, England, March 18, 1873, and is a son of William H. and Emeline ( Tucker) Matthews. William H. Matthews was superintendent for the Great Western Railroad Company in Newton Abbott, Devonshire, England, and in the year 1885 he bade adieu to friends and native country and sailed for the new world alone. Having sent for his family, they made their way westward and became residents of Evanston, Wyoming, but afterward removed to Salt Lake county, Utah.
Bertrand N. Matthews was the seventh in order of birth in a family of fourteen children. In his boyhood days he attended Catholic parochial schools of England and at the age of twelve years came to the new world, after which he was a pupil in the graded schools of Utah, and eventually he was graduated from the State University of Utah on the completion of an academic course in the class of 1899. He had determined upon the practice of law as his life work and in preparation for the profession read law at every available oppor- tunity and also acted as assistant to Judge William R. Hall during his spare time while attending school. He took up the profession of teaching in Utah and followed it for ten years, proving a capable educator, imparting readily and clearly to others the knowledge that he had acquired. He then pursued a course of law lectures on the Pacific coast, after which he came to Uinta county, Wyo- ming, and accepted the position of principal of the high school at Lyman, where he remained for two years. On the expiration of that period he successfully passed the bar examination with a very excellent mark of efficiency and was accordingly admitted to practice on the 11th of September, 1916. In the fall of the same year he became a candidate for the office of county attorney of Uinta county, was elected and is now acting in that capacity. At the same time he engages in the private practice of law and in his professional work displays the same thoroughness that ever characterized his efforts in the educa- tional field. He is advancing steadily in his chosen profession, winning a cred- itable name and place for himself at the Uinta bar.
On the Ist of June, 1901, Mr. Matthews was united in marriage to Miss Anastasia Martin, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Martin, of Salt Lake county, Utah, where her father is a well known rancher and stock raiser. Mrs. Matthews passed away on the 19th of June, 1904, leaving two children : Miss Theo Matthews, who was born in Salt Lake City, March 10, 1902; and John B., who was born in Salt Lake City, December 25, 1903. On the 19th of August, 1906, Mr. Matthews was again married, his second union being with Miss Frances Smith, of Los Angeles, California, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William H. Smith, who were pioneer residents of Beaver county, Utah. The children of this marriage are: Thelma J., who was born in Salt Lake City, June 16, 1907; Gilbert B., born in Salt Lake City, August 28, 1908; Lucille, born in Salt Lake City, May 23. 1910; Immanuel A., born in Lyman, Wyoming, May 18, 1915: and Dorothy, born in Evanston, July 5, 1917.
Mr. Matthews is an elder in the Mormon church and has filled various other positions in the church, in the work of which he is deeply and actively interested.
BERTRAND N. MATTHEW'S
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He is chairman of the Industrial Order of American Patriots and is identified with the Woodmen of the World, in connection with which he is widely known. He is at present identified with the democratic party and is state committeeman from Uinta county. He is actuated in all that he does by a spirit of enterprise and progressiveness and laudable ambition has pointed out to him the way whereby he has attained his present enviable position in the legal circles of Uinta county.
LOUIS B. WESTHOLDER.
Louis B. Westholder is one of the prominent florists of western Wyoming. with headquarters at Evanston. His business extends over a wide territory, for he has agencies and branches in various towns of this section of the state. He is thoroughly familiar with all the scientific phases of his work and this knowl- edge, added to practical experience, has won for him a very substantial measure of success.
Mr. Westholder was born in Teutopolis, Effingham county, Illinois, on the 2Ist of September, 1889, a son of Dr. C. A. Westholder, who is a native of Germany and came to America in 1882, at which time he took up his abode in Indianapolis, Indiana. There he engaged in the practice of his profession. He was born and reared in Hamm, Germany, and pursued his education in a uni- versity in Westphalia and in other leading educational institutions of that country. After becoming a resident of Indianapolis he continued in the practice of medi- cine and surgery in that city for ten years, after which he was made physician and surgeon at the Roman Catholic college and convent in Teutopolis, Illinois. There he remained for ten years, after which he removed to Minnesota, where he has since resided. He is now living retired, enjoying the fruits of a well spent life, his home being in Albany, Minnesota. His wife, Mrs. Lydia Westholder, is also a native of Germany, in which country they were married. Twelve children were born to them, eight sons and four daughters, of whom nine are living.
Louis B. Westholder, who was the sixth in the family and is the eldest of the living sons, was educated in the parochial schools of St. Michael, Minnesota, and in St. John's University at Collegeville, Minnesota, where he pursued a two years' course. He then started out to provide for his own support when a youth of seventeen years and made his way to the west, first settling at Cheyenne, Wyo- ming, where he was employed as a florist, having thoroughly acquainted himself with the business through four years' experience along that line in lowa and Minnesota. He worked for a time as a journeyman and remained in the employ of others for two and a half years. During two years of that period he con- tinued his residence in Laramie, after which he removed to Evanston, where he took up his abode in June, 1913. He immediately entered upon business here on his own account but started out in a small way. He first rented window space in one of the local stores and from that small beginning has developed what is one of the largest florist establishments in the state. He specializes in cut flowers, funeral designs and potted plants and he is conducting a modern and well equipped store on Main street in Evanston and also an equally attractive establishment on South Front street in Rock Springs, Wyoming. In addition to this he has agen- cies at Kemmerer, Cokeville, Cumberland, Diamondville, Frontier, Saratoga, En- campment, Rawlins, Superior and Green River and also at numerous other points. He is perhaps the best and most widely known man in the florist busi- ness in the state and he has an established clientele in Idaho, Montana and Utah. He likewise specializes in nursery and landscape work, in which he is an ex- pert. He is familiar with all the best methods of propagating flowers and pro- ducing the best florist and nursery stock, and his intelligently directed effort has brought to him a measure of success that is most gratifying.
Mr. Westholder was married in Evanston on the 4th of August, 1915, to Miss
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Frances Martin, a native of Almy, Wyoming, and a daughter of Thomas and Isabelle Martin, who were pioneer people of Uinta county. Mr. and Mrs. West- holder have one child, Louis, who was born in Evanston, December 31, 1916.
In his political views Mr. Westholder has always been a republican, keeping well informed on the questions and issues of the day, yet has never been an office seeker. His religious faith is that of the Roman Catholic church and he belongs to the Knights of Columbus. He is likewise connected with the Knights of The Maccabees and the Woodmen of the World. His career has been marked by steady advancement from the time when he started out to provide for his own support. He is more than satisfied with Wyoming as a field of labor, believ- ing that the future holds much in store for the state, and his personal career demonstrates the possibilities for successful accomplishment here. His opinions have come to be largely regarded as authority upon anything connected with flori- culture in the state, for his broad experience and study have given him expert knowledge.
JOHN R. DOTY.
Alive to every interest and opportunity that develops in the natural ramifica- tions of trade, John R. Doty has won for himself a creditable place in commercial circles of Wyoming, being manager of the Rawlins Mercantile Company. He is also actively identified with the sheep and cattle industry of this state and he possesses the firmness of purpose and the indefatigable energy that enable him to carry forward to successful completion whatever he undertakes.
He was born in Rochester, Cedar county, Iowa, March 11, 1863, a son of John and Mary A. (Smith) Doty, both of whom were natives of the Hawkeye state, where they spent their entire lives. The paternal grandfather, John Doty, was one of the first settlers of Iowa and was closely identified with the pioneer develop- ment of that state. His son, John Doty, engaged in merchandising and farming there, being actively connected with business interests to the time of his death, which occurred in 1863. His wife was reared and educated in Iowa and has been a resident of the state to the present time. In the family were two children, the elder being Dow D. Doty, who was born in Rochester, Iowa, in January, 1861, and is now a resident of Fort Collins, Colorado.
John R. Doty attended the public schools of Rochester, Iowa, and later con- tinned his education in the Keokuk ( Ia.) Business College. When his commer- cial course was completed he became connected with mercantile interests at Council Bluffs, Iowa, where he remained until 1885, when he removed to Wyo- ming, establishing his home in Cheyenne. Later in 1887, he came to Rawlins and turned his attention to the cattle business, in which he has been actively engaged to the present time. In 1898 he once more entered mercantile circles and in March, 1900, was one of the organizers of the Rawlins Mercantile Company, which started business on a small scale but has rapidly developed its interests until the trade places the establishment in the front rank of the leading mercan- tile interests of Wyoming. This is largely due to the efforts and business ability of Mr. Doty, who has been treasurer, secretary and manager since its organiza- tion and is a man of keen discernment and sound judgment. His sagacity and diligence have combined to make him a most forceful factor in trade circles and his labors have been attended with gratifying results. He is president of the Freeland Live Stock Company, which has its headquarters in Rawlins. He also organized, and has ever since been president of the Freeland Cattle Company of Pass Creek, Wyoming.
On the 13th of January, 1887, Mr. Doty was married in Muscatine, Iowa, to Miss Eliza Mardock, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Mardock, and they have become parents of one child, Mary C., who was born in Rawlins in 1892.
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She was graduated from the Rawlins high school and from the Western College of Toledo, Ohio.
Mr. Doty is a charter member and trustee of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks in Rawlins and is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. His political allegiance is given to the democratic party but he does not seek nor desire office, preferring to concentrate his efforts and attention upon other inter- ests. He has worked his way upward entirely through his own efforts and de- serves great credit for what he has accomplished, for, although obstacles and difficulties have barred his path, he has persevered in his purpose and has be- come one of the prominent business men of Wyoming, controlling important mer- cantile interests at Rawlins and being connected with large sheep and cattle interests in the state. Persistency of purpose has won for him well deserved success and he is now with merit enjoying life's prosperity.
WILLIAM A. HOCKER, M. D.
The progressive west constitutes an irresistible attraction to many men of en- terprise who recognize the fact that the opportunities in a growing country are limitless. Professional activity here finds full scope and, moreover, the spirit of enterprise manifest by the citizens demands that the professional man be one thoroughly capable and in touch with the latest advancements of scientific investi- gation. Such a one is found in Dr. William A. Hocker, now a successful physician and surgeon of Kemmerer, Lincoln county.
He was born in Lincoln county, Kentucky, February 7, 1848. His father, the late Tilman Hocker, was also a native of Kentucky and a representative of one of the family came to the new world prior to the Revolutionary war and settled in Virginia. while early ancestors of Dr. Hocker participated in the struggle for of its old families of Scotch Irish lineage. The founder of the American branch independence and in the War of 1812. His father, Tilman Hocker, was a suc- cessful planter and slave owner of Kentucky until after the Civil war, when he removed to Cass county, Missouri, where he resided to the time of his death, which occurred in 1890, when he was seventy years of age. His entire life had been devoted to general agricultural pursuits. His political allegiance was given to the democratic party and he held membership in the Campbellite church, of which he was a devoted adherent. He was a most widely known and honored citi- zen in the county in which he lived, enjoying the goodwill and warm regard of all with whom he was associated. He married Sarah W. Morrison, a native of Kentucky and of Scotch descent. She passed away at the age of sixty years. In their family were nine children, one of whom has passed away, while the living are four sons and four daughters.
Dr. Hocker, who was the second in order of birth, pursued his education in Lincoln and Boyle counties of Kentucky and at Danville, Kentucky, and attended Central College, from which he was in due time graduated. He started out to provide for his own support when a youth of sixteen years, following the close of the Civil war, which caused heavy financial losses to the family and necessi- tated his making a start in life. Even during the Civil war he had worked as a sub-contractor with his uncle, James M. Hocker, who was providing the federal army with horses, and by his work in that connection Dr. Hocker provided ample means with which to secure his medical education. Desiring to follow a pro- fessional career, he decided upon the practice of medicine as a life work and with that end in view entered the Bellevue Medical College of New York city, from which he was graduated in 1868, his degree at that time being conferred upon him. He afterward served as an interne in the Bellevue Hospital for a year and a half and thus gained that broad and valuable experience which only hospital practice can bring. He then removed to Harrisonville, the county seat of Cass county, Missouri, where he entered upon active practice, remaining there for five
W. a. Stocker
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years. He next located at Evanston, Wyoming, changing his place of residence on account of his wife's health. He continued at Evanston until 1898, when he took up his abode in Kemmerer, where he has since remained in active and suc- cessful practice. His patronage is extensive and is the public recognition of his ability. He belongs to the American Medical Association and keeps in touch with the latest researches and investigations of the profession. He is the present county health officer of Lincoln county, in which position he has served for the past four years. He is also surgeon for the Union Pacific and the Oregon Short Line Railroads, acting in these capacities during his residence in Kemmerer, and he was also surgeon for the Union Pacific at Evanston.
On the 16th of June, 1873, in Harrisonville, Missouri, Dr. Hocker was united in marriage to Miss Alice Reynolds, a native of that state, who in her childhood was left an orphan by the death of her parents. To this marriage nine children have been born, of whom five daughters and two sons are yet living, namely ' Robert. who is a graduate of the Kansas City ( Mo.) Dental College and is now engaged in the practice of dentistry in Kemmerer; Woodie, who is the wife of F. A. Manley, vice president and general manager of the Union Pacific Coal Com- pany at Omaha; Edith, the wife of Frank G. Lauder, living in Tucson, Arizona ; Effie, the wife of W. T. Davies, a resident of Miami, Arizona; Virginia, who is acting as housekeeper for her father; Florence, the wife of Paul Comer, of Kem- merer; and Reynolds W., who is a graduate of the Kansas City Dental College and is also engaged in the practice of his profession.
Fraternally Dr. Hocker is connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, also with the Knights of The Maccabees and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He likewise belongs to the Commercial Club of Kemmerer and co- operates in all of its well defined plans and purposes for the upbuilding and development of the city with whose interests he is now so closely allied. He gives his political endorsement to the democratic party and has been one of its active and prominent workers. He served for one term as a member of the territorial legislature and was twice elected county commissioner, serving as chairman of the board for two years. He was also for two terms mayor of Kemmerer and exercised his official prerogatives in support of many progressive measures, giving to the city a businesslike administration in which he brought about many practical reforms and improvements. He was also registrar of the United States land office at Evanston during the second administration of President Cleveland, and was superintendent of the State Insane Asylum at Evanston for four years.
He has thus played an important part in the public affairs of his section of the state and at all times his influence has been given on the side of advancement, his labors heing most resultant. At the same time he has held to the highest pro- fessional standards and he is the loved family physician in many a household in this section of the state. He holds to the highest ethical standards and at all times he is keenly interested in anything that tends to bring to man a key to the com- plex mystery which we call life.
PAUL WIENPAHL.
Among the enterprising business men of Rock Springs is numbered Paul Wienpahl, a well known jeweler and watch expert, who was born in Kamen, Germany, July 4, 1880, a son of William and Louise (Reihl) Wienpahl, who have spent their entire lives in Germany, where the father was engaged in the manufacture of mining lamps but is now living retired, still making his home in Kamen. He was a prominent business man of that locality, his lamps being sold all over the world. He is now sixty-seven years of age. His wife passed away in 1915, her death being occasioned by grief caused by the war. In their family were five children : William, who is still a resident of Germany ; Helena; Paul, Vol. II-13
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of Rock Springs, Wyoming; Ella; and Robert. The sons with the exception of Paul of this review are active in the war with the German army.
Paul Wienpahl, the third in order of birth, attended school in Kamen, Ger- many, pursuing his education until he left the high school at the age of fifteen years to take up the watchmaking trade as an apprentice in his native city. He served in the Germany army for two years, according to the military regulations of the country, and in 1907 he crossed to London, England, where he worked at the jeweler's trade for several years. In June, 1911, he came to America and took up his abode in Boise, Idaho. Later he accepted a position in Salt Lake City and in 1915 he purchased a jewelry store in Rock Springs. Today he has the leading jewelry establishment in his section of the state and he is regarded as one of the best watchmakers in Wyoming. He is bending every effort toward the development of his trade and the upbuilding of his business and his labors are being attended with substantial results.
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